THE BASICS

Score: Ohio: 66, Alcorn State: 55

Location: The Convocation Center - Athens, Ohio

The Short Story: The Ohio men's basketball team (3-3) took down Alcorn State (1-7), 66-55, on Saturday (Dec. 13) at the Convocation Center. The victory was pioneered behind sophomore forward Antonio Campbell (Cincinnati, Ohio), who posted his second consecutive double-double with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in his first start of the 2014-15 season.

OHIO STARTERS: #3 Javarez Willis, #5 Maurice Ndour, #22 Stevie Taylor, #24 Mike Laster, #33 Antonio Campbell

ALCORN STATE: #0 Tyrel Hunt, #1 LeAntwan Luckett, #11 Juwan Henderson, #23 Kenyan Pittman, #30 Marquis Vance

HOW IT HAPPENED 

- Senior forward Maurice Ndour (Mbour, Senegal) tallied the first seven points for the `Cats, going a perfect 3-3 from the floor.

- With 9:11 left to go in the first half, Ohio opened up a six-point lead at 16-10.

- Alcorn State crept their way back to a two-point advantage over the Bobcats with just under two minutes left in the first half.

- Redshirt freshman guard Khari Harley (Egg Harbor Township, N.J) hit a three-pointer as time expired in the first half, putting Ohio up 30-29.

- Ndour started the second half off by hitting a pair of free throws, but neither squad could find the bottom of the net over the ensuing next two minutes.

- The Green & White opened the game up with a nine-point run, increasing their lead to 51-42 with 8:23 on the clock.

- The Braves clawed their way back within at  one at 53-52 with just under five minutes to play.

- With 1:36 left on the clock, Ndour threw down a two-handed dunk, putting the `Cats back up by eight at 61-53.

- Ohio never looked back after that dagger, winning by 11, 66-55.

- Ndour finished with a game-high 20 points to go along with six boards and a block. 

- Senior guard Stevie Taylor (Gahanna, Ohio) reached double figures for the second time this season, tallying 10 points in addition to dishing out three assists and grabbing a rebound.

- Redshirt senior guard Javarez Willis (Homer, La.) distributed a game-high four assists, matching his season high. He also recorded five points and five rebounds.
- Redshirt junior forward LeAntwan Luckett paced Alcorn State with 15 points and snatched five rebounds. He was joined in double figures by sophomore forward Marquis Vance (12) and junior forward Tyrel Hunt (10). Hunt led the Braves with eight rebounds while Vance snared seven and posted an assist and a steal.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

- The contest marked the second time this season Ndour has dropped at least 20 points and 11th time in his career. He has posted five double-digit scoring efforts this year and 30 times in his career.

- Harley's six points marked a career high as he knocked down his first two career three-pointers.

- Redshirt junior forward Treg Setty (Maysville, Ky.) tied his career high with two blocks. He also matched his season high with six points in addition to two rebounds, an assist and a steal.

QUOTABLE

First-Year Head Coach Saul Phillips

- "We did a lot of decent things tonight, but, at times, was completely overshadowed by bad decision making. But, I'll tell you what; it sure feels better to talk about this after a win than a loss."

- "I need my O Zone back! We've had too many games in a row without the O Zone here. I love those guys; they're loud over there, they're fun. When did we play our best in here? When everybody was here. For a MAC school, we have a very unique setup where we've got a significant home-court advantage when all of the students are on campus."

Sophomore forward Antonio Campbell

- "About the starting lineup, it's never different. Coming off of the bench or making the starting lineup, I think it's all of the same."

- "Everybody was anxious for a win. I think we have a huge stretch ahead of us. We go to Evansville and George Washington in Hawaii. There's a lot of games up there (at the 2014 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic), and we need fresh bodies, so we can win up there."

Senior guard Stevie Taylor

- "Coach talked about it early; `Let's just go out there and play hard, and let's just win this game.' With not playing for a whole week from Saturday to Saturday, it can really get to you mentally, and, for some guys, it actually did. But, for the most part, we stayed together as a team and got the win tonight."

- "This is a tight group and we'll nip that in the bud real early, probably in the bus ride there. Don't overlook Evansville, because when we played them last year, they were no joke. We can't look forward to Hawai'i if we catch an `L' before we get even in Hawai'i."

COMING UP

Ohio hits the road for the second time in 2014-15, visiting Evansville next Thursday (Dec. 18) in a 9:05 p.m. ET showdown.

#SaulBall